Groundbreaking
by Hisoka's Secret
Summary: Erza has discovered some tremors in the ground in Oak Town, Fiore. The place where Phantom Lord used to be. What was going on? Is another dark guild on the loose? Or is it something else? Rated T for Natsu/Gray cursing.
1. Prologue: Voices

**Author's Note: Hey guys! You can call me Xae, and um, this is my first time writing a Fairy Tail fanfic, so please bear with me X3 Enjoy! (or not :P)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima owns it.**

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Prologue: Voices

The chandelier was tinkling slightly, issuing a melodic tune from its perch on the high ceiling. The people seated in the dining hall had not appeared to notice. The paintings along the walls quivered slightly in their frames. One particularly sensitive man, twitched and looked up, eying the paintings for a moment, before returning to his meal.

Then, without any warning, a large crack appeared right in the centre of the room. Several ladies in expensive dresses shrieked shrilly as the the entire table veered to one side, tilting precariously, almost falling into the crack entirely. The men leapt backwards, trying to find their footing on the now trembling floor. The lights on the chandelier flickered and went out, and more screams were heard, piercing through the air like knives.

A loud rumbling was heard and the screams stopped, although whimpering was very evident. The rumbling seemed to come from everywhere, resonating from all four walls. The people were frightened, clutching to each other. The voice that spoke next made the hair on the back of their necks stand on end.

"Fairy Tail will now pay for their ignorance... With the lives of these people. Our long-sought for revenge will finally be served. Cold." The low, menacing voice was dripping with malicious intent. It rung in their ears and their minds went blank. An evil cackling sounded through the entire room, reverberating against the walls and it made them all dizzy. One by one, they collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. The voice spoke again, this time in a quieter tone, but just as lethal.

"And so, our time to strike back has come. _Fairy Tail_."

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**A/N: How was the intro? Like it? Hate it? Want to find out more? Let me know in your review and read on :P Until next time!  
**~Xae


	2. Chapter One: Earth Tremors

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Xae here, and um, well, here is Chapter One. Enjoy! (or not :P)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima owns it.**

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Chapter One: Earth Tremors

"Mirajane! More beer here, please!" Macao called out across the Fairy Tail Guild Hall.

"Okay, coming right up!" Mirajane called back cheerily over the chaotic noise in the guild. In fact, the guild was always in an uproar.

"What did you say, Ice Head?"

"You heard me, Flame Face!"

"Take it back! Gray!"

Natsu jumped atop one of the tables in the centre of the Guild Hall, causing it to slant to one side.

"Make me!" Gray sneered back, jumping on top of the other end of the rectangular table, rocking the table the other way.

"Well, well," Lucy sank back into her seat as her plate of spagetti slid this way and that across the table. "Let's not fight, okay? Gray, Natsu..."

"More beeeeer, Mirajane!" Came Cana's muffled voice from a corner of the room. She was chugging alcohol from a large barrel which she held with both hands. A few empty barrels lay on their sides around her. Mirajane looked up from her work, a sheepish expression on her face. "Cana, you have just drained the last of our alcohol supplies. We won't be having any until we restock at the end of this week..." Cana set down the barrel and hiccuped. "What? That won't do! I'm just getting started!" She yelled annoyedly.

"YOU'VE DONE IT NOW, SLANTY EYES!" Natsu roared. "_Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_" Half the guild was scorched black. Mirajane poked her head out from behind the bar counter, holding two beer bottles, and heaved a sigh.

"Way to go, Natsu!" A blue cat hopped from one foot to the other on the table. "Some more!"

"Happy! You are supposed to be stopping them, not encouraging them!" Lucy groaned, exasperated at the cat beside her.

"Hmph! That was nothing! _Ice Make: Hammer!_" Gray formed a fist with his left hand and slammed it into the open palm of his right. The ice hammer smashed a nearby table and overturned two others.

"Oooohhh Gray-sama is always so cool!" Juvia gushed, peeking at Gray from behind a pillar. "Juvia loves Gray-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah, you've said that about a million times already." Gajeel grunted, stuffing his face with the cooking utensils from the back of the kitchen. Pantherlily nodded in agreement, folding his paws across his chest. "Gajeel! Stop eating all our pots and pans! At this rate, we'll go broke having to buy new equipment every other week!" Freed told him off from his seat at the bar counter. Gajeel muttered something but stopped chewing the silverware.

"Oi, Gray!" Elfman yelled at him. "If you and Natsu want to fight, be a man and do it outside the guild!" Lisanna glanced anxiously at the table she and Elfman had just been sitting at moments before. It was in splinters. "Shut up! This is between me and Natsu! The bastard stole my pants!" Gray snarled. "The hell if I want your pants, Ice Block! Like you'll even wear them anyway! You called me a thieving rat! I'll have your neck for this! _Fire Dragon's- _"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" A sudden menacing aura was felt in the Guild Hall and a long, dark shadow was cast against the wall. "E-erza!" Natsu and Gray squeaked at the same time. The fiery-haired female mage stood towering over the duo. "Well?"

"G-gomenasai, Erza-san! We won't fight again!"

"Y-yeah! See? We are the best of pals!"

Natsu and Gray had their arms around each others necks and were bouncing up and down like a syncronised cheerleading squad.

CLANG! CLANG! Erza pulled their heads close to her and banged them affectionately against her breastplate armor. "Good!" She let go of them and they sunk to the ground, unconscious. Lucy forced a weak smile. "Well, I guess that was for the best..."

"Aye! That's Erza for you!" Happy exclaimed. "But, NATSUUUU!" Happy flew straight into Natsu and landed on his head. "Natsu, are you okay?" Natsu responded with an unintelligible groan. "Aye! Natsu is fine!" Happy exclaimed again.

Lucy sighed and reached out to retrieve her plate of spagetti from the opposite end of the table. She was just about to shovel a forkful into her mouth when the table suddenly sprouted the hilt of a sword. Lucy paused and looked up. She wasn't very surprised. This sort of things always happened in the guild. Fairy Tail was always wrecking one thing or another. Erza was standing beside her, her sword buried up to its hilt in the wooden table.

"Minna-san! I have something to announce!" Chattering ceased at once. Erza cleared her throat and her tone changed. "This is rather serious. I wonder if anyone has seen Master around?" She glanced at Mirajane who was behind the bar counter. Mirajane replied, "Master is out at a meeting with the other Guild Masters. He should be back in about three days' time."

Erza cursed under her breath. She turned back to face the rest of the guild. "I repeat, this is a serious matter." There was some murmuring in the room. _What could possibly have happened? _Lucy looked anxiously at Happy who shook his head back at her. By this time, Natsu and Gray were coming back to their senses and sitting up, staying as far away from each other as possible. All eyes were on Erza. "There are some earth tremors occuring in Oak Town, a distance away from Magnolia. I heard about them on my way back from a job. They are quite bad; labour in the fields had to be put to a stop, as it was potentially dangerous to work in such conditions, with small fissures appearing in unpredictable places. This phenomenon is definitely not natural. It must be some form of magic. It might be dangerous to go alone, so I wanted to return to let you all know where I will be heading. I want Natsu and Gray to follow me. Lucy, you too." Erza added.

"M-me?" Lucy yelped. "Of course." Erza replied. "We're a team."

"WITH THIS GUY?" Natsu and Gray shouted at the same time. Before they could say another word, Erza glared at them and they were immediately reduced to whimpering puppies. "Any objections?" Erza asked pointedly.

"N-none," Natsu and Gray answered meekly. Lucy shook her head.

Natsu sat up straight, thought for a moment then said in a serious tone, "Oak Town... Wasn't it that place that Phantom Lord was at?" Erza nodded gravely. "That's why I am worried." She glanced at Juvia and Gajeel. They seemed not to have realised that trouble was brewing at the site of their former guild. "I didn't want to upset Juvia and Gajeel. I'll let them come in only if things get out of hand. I don't want to bring back painful memories..." For once, both Natsu and Gray agreed. They nodded solemnly.

Easing the tension, Happy cried, "Aye sir! Can Charla come along too? And Wendy?" Lucy brightened. "Yes, can we invite them to come along? The more the merrier!" Erza considered this. "It will be quite dangerous... But I suppose having more people wouldn't hurt. Wendy could help too." Happy flew around in circles. "Yay! Charla is coming with us!"

Just then, Wendy and Charla walked into the guild. "Charla~" Happy cried, "We are going on an assignment together!" Charla grumbled, "What nonsense are you spouting, cat?" Erza quickly explained the details to Wendy and Charla and they nodded, agreeing to come along.

Lucy turned to look up at Erza. "So, when do we leave?" She caught sight of Natsu and Gray glaring murderously at each other behind Erza's back.

"We leave. NOW." Erza announced proudly, pulling out a humongous packed suitcase out of nowhere. It was a good five times taller than her and four times as wide, and it was stuffed with things. It looked ike it would burst at any second. "Let's go!"

"EHHH?"

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review for me, I would greatly appreciate it :D**


	3. Chapter 2: New Faces

**A/N: Hey guys, it's me Xae! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in ages, but I hope you don't mind . Here, Chapter Two. Enjoy~ (or not :P)**

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**Chapter Two: New Faces**

**XXX POV**

A dark figure reclined in his armchair in the shadows of a damp, musty dungeon. At least, it looked like a dungeon. The figure was tall, massive, and well-built, with muscles rippling underneath tanned skin. The man's upper body was covered by a large, loose black coat sporting white edges,with wide and high collar. The man wore a loose pair of pants with prominent hems, along with a pair of simple, dark shoes. Circling the man's neck was a large, orange-colored necklace, composed of several crosses linked together by small beads, which bore a small skull, with its eyes obscured by a blindfold.

The man breathed in deeply. The air smelt wet and stank of rotting leaves. He lowered his head to face a white screen directly in front of him. Images bubbled and changed on his command, as he shifted between his many targets. A young man with indigo hair trudged through the woods. A middle-aged woman carrying an infant in her arms, wandering the streets desperately. The images flickered as the man focused on one target in particular.

He sucked in a deep breath. He found her. A girl with long, forest green hair, a dark velvet cloak around her shoulders, and a bundle in her arms. She peered this way and that and continued walking along the pastel coloured path. The man smiled. He long fingers reached up to touch the bandages wrapped around his eyes. He could not see the white screen with flickering images. But yet. He knew.

"We are almost complete. Now for the final touch. Our revenge will be so sweet." His deep booming voice echoed in the hollow dungeon.

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**? POV**

"Here we are, Bory! Oak Town, Fiore!" I stopped to take a look at my surroundings. Well... It wasn't really what I had been expecting. "Oh no... Look, Bory." There were huge cracks in the yellow ground in some places, the once beautiful trees and flowers ruined by the gaping cracks in the ground. I felt small sharp pebbles and the rough, uneven ground under my feet. My forehead creased. I had heard that Oak Town was a beautiful city, with greenery and flowers aplenty, and beautiful exotic colours and scents. But this... Something must have happened here. Everywhere I looked, there were cracks in the ground, the smallest being the length of a large rat, and the biggest spanning as much as an entire football field. I turned to my left. There was a path amongst the bushes, paved with pastel coloured bricks. I sniffed the air.

"I think it's this way!" I looked up. "Bory! Hey!" The large apple tree I was standing under began to quiver, its leaves trembling. "Bory no!" A large red apple fell from the branch above me and I had to duck out of the way. A long, turqoise rope-like thing dropped down from the branch and it twitched slightly. I sighed. "Get down from there, will you?" I yanked the rope-like thing and my turqoise coloured Exceed came crashing down the branches.

"Mmmph my tailllll!" He squealed. I caught Bory in my arms and looked down at him. He had his cheeks full and he clutched an apple to his chest, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Mmmm! We can go noww!" Bory spluttered with his mouth full. I rolled my eyes. "Of course we can." I turned and marched down the path paved with pastel bricks. _I can smell the slightest hint of dragons... I hope I'm going the right way... But there is something about this place. I just can't put my foot on it..._

We walked and walked, the path starting to go downhill a bit. Bory finished his apple and sat up in my arms. He peered around. "Ira! Down there!" He leapt up and immediately fell over again. "Woah there!" I caught him just in time. "Where were you- Oh! What is that..." A huge, magnificent castle loomed above us, towering at nearly 50 stories high. Straight ahead, lay huge oak double doors, complete with bronze knockers. I raised my head and squinted up at the castle.

"Wow there must be at least a hundred rooms! There are so many windows!" Bory exclaimed, leaping out of my arms and onto the ground beside me. I looked up at the many glass windows, lined with gold and silver patterns. I sniffed the air again. "The scent of dragons is getting stronger... Let's check it out!" I tugged Bory's tail and reached out to grab the bronze knocker. But before I even touched it, the huge double doors swung wide open, as if whoever or whatever was inside was waiting for us. I gulped. "I'm scared..." Bory whimpered, hiding behind my back.

"L-Let's go." I muttered. We walked through the double doors, and into a long narrow corridor. The walls were covered in royal purple velvet, with numerous paintings adorning the walls. Just then, the doors slammed shut behind us. Bory flew back and tried to wrench the doors open, but they were sealed shut. "Ira..." He tugged my cloak nervously, "Ira, we're trapped!" I calmed my breathing and took a deep breath.

"Then the only way to go, is in." I said decisively. I took a tentative step, but suddenly, the floorboards gave way and slid open, and I was plunged down a long slippery slide.

"Ira!" Bory cried, wings on his back, hovering above the gaping hole. "Ira!" I craned my neck to look back at him, but my eyes watered at the speed I was going. Bory dove down after me, but the floorboards slid shut before he could enter and I was plunged into complete darkness.

All of a sudden, I hit the ground with a thud and I quickly got up. The ground was slimy and squelched under my feet. I could hear the sound of my heart beating rapidly against my ribcage and the rush of pounding blood in my head. I took up a defensive position and looked around, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. It looked as if I had landed in some sort of dungeon.

A tall, broad figure appeared just in front of me and I took a step backwards. "Who are you?" I demanded. "And what do you want?" The figure, a man, chuckled, a loud booming noise that echoed against the moist walls. "What do I want?" He repeated, mocking me. "I want you."

A wave of fear washed over me, but before I could even react, everything turned fuzzy and blurry, like I was about to fall asleep. My eyelids drooped and the last thing I remember after my head thudded against the wet floor, was a pair of black clogs.

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"HURK-" Natsu's face was a sickly shade of green. He swayed unsteadily in his seat, eyes bulging. Lucy looked concerned. "Natsu, are you- " This time, Natsu's mouth bulged and Lucy leapt backwards in alarm.

"NOT IN HERE!" Erza roared, yanking the carriage window open and forcing Natsu's head outside. The sickening sound of vomit being splattered onto the road outside caused Lucy and Wendy to cringe. Erza pulled Natsu back inside the train carriage where he slumped weakly against the side of the window, looking sick. "Get a grip," Gray muttered, smirking at the poor dragon slayer. Natsu was too ill to retaliate.

"It seems like Troia has lost it's effect on Natsu." Happy wondered aloud. Wendy stepped forward. "Let me see if it works again. Natsu-san seems in a lot of... distress." Wendy murmured, reaching out to lay both hands on Natsu as a warm glow began to radiate around Natsu's body.

"Ahhh much better!" Natsu sighed, as the effects of Troia began to work their magic. "Thanks Wendy!" The hour long train ride after that was pretty uneventful, other than the usual bickering between Natsu and Gray, with Erza interrupting occasionally to quiet them for a while.

When the five of them reached Oak Town, it was not a pleasant sight. Huge cracks ran along the ground, destroying the flowerbeds and uprooting trees. "What happened here..." Lucy gasped, worried. Erza studied the cracks. "This isn't natural. We have to find out who's behind this and put a stop to it before the citizens get hurt." Erza glanced at the four of them.

"Wendy, Lucy, go with Charle to warn the citizens and evacuate them to somewhere safer." Erza instructed. Wendy and Lucy nodded and quickly set off the gather the villagers. "Natsu, Gray, come with me. We'll trace whoever is behind this." Natsu and Gray agreed reluctantly. For once, they weren't arguing. They knew that this was a serious matter._ I hope Master comes back soon..._ Erza thought, _This may be more complicated than we imagined..._


End file.
